


Love is a Battlefield

by Snugglebuttkitten



Series: A Thousand Lifetimes of Loving You [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Banter, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Love/Hate, Marinette and Luka are the same age, OOC characters, Past Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pokemon, Rated T for language, Rivals to Lovers, Same Age Characters, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: The Enemies to Lovers Lukanette Pokemon Fic that NO ONE ASKED FOR... but we all secretly needed.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: A Thousand Lifetimes of Loving You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150445
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	Love is a Battlefield

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title: Five Times Marinette and Luka Were Mortal Enemies, and The One Time They Admitted To Their FUCKING FEELINGS.
> 
> As you can see, that is quite a mouthful and not exactly conducive as a proper title.

Marinette was late. She was so beyond late, it wasn’t even funny. She had set no less than fifteen alarms the night before, had even gone to bed early.  _ How had she managed to sleep through them all!? _ These questions pounded through the ten year old girl’s head as she hitched her pink and white backpack higher on her back, legs pumping and breath wheezing as she raced through the winding residential streets of Pallet Town towards the tall hill and the shimmering laboratory that overlooked it. This was without a doubt, hands down, the most  _ important _ day of her entire ten years and SHE WAS LATE. Alya was going to murder her. She was actually kind of shocked that her friend hadn’t come pounding on her bedroom door this morning demanding to know where she had been during the ceremony. The ceremony that was most certainly over by now. She would be  _ lucky _ if Professor Fu had any pokemon left.

Reaching the base of the long, white stone staircase that led up to the laboratory, Marinette forced her aching limbs to carry her up the steps two at a time, ignoring the way her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Professor Fu  _ had _ to have a pokemon left for her. He just  _ had _ too. Sure, he had told her quite succinctly last week that he only had a certain amount of starter pokemon and that she  _ absolutely had to be on time _ if she wanted one. But he knew how many kids were set to start their journeys today, right? And as the only Professor in the area, surely he had to be prepared for there to be a few stragglers, right? He couldn’t possibly send her out on her pokemon journey without a pokemon. That would be crazy! Or so she hoped. Reaching the top of the stairs, Marinette collapsed to her knees and gulped great, big gasping breaths of air. Her heart thundered in her chest and her legs felt weak and rubbery like jello from running all the way here.

Everything burned but she couldn’t stop now. What if Professor Fu left on one of his expeditions? Then she would be forced to wait until he got back and there was  _ no way _ she could live if all of her friends started their Pokemon journeys and left her behind! She would  _ die _ . Forcing herself to gather her wobbly legs beneath her, Marinette got shakily to her feet and staggered to the large double doors that granted entrance into Professor Fu’s lab. The brass Charizard head knocker felt cool to the touch as she lifted it and allowed it to fall back against the door with a loud clang once, twice, three times. Stepping back, she waited for what seemed like an eternity before the door creaked open and a diminutive man of Asian descent appeared, wearing a floral Alolan shirt and Khakis. He looked up at her, gnarled fingers stroking thoughtfully at his goatee as he appraised her

“You’re late,” he finally said, spinning on his heel and stepping back into his lab. Marinette hesitated only a moment before she rushed after him, entering the white marbled entryway of the lab’s foyer.

“Professor Fu, I am  _ so _ sorry. I slept through like fifteen alarms and my parents didn’t wake me and then the bus just left me at the bus stop without even slowing down and-” she broke off abruptly as the old man lifted one hand in a gesture for silence.

“I told you not to be late. I warned you I would run out of pokemon,” he said, shaking his head disapprovingly as he walked through a doorway to the left of the foyer. The room beyond was pristine, white and stainless steel. Scientific equipment that Marinette couldn’t even begin to identify lined the walls, sat on counters and long, low tables. At the center of it all, a podium sat with a dome over the top. Professor Fu approached the dome and laid his hand on the glass briefly before turning to look at her with a frown.

“You can’t be out of pokemon, Professor. I’m supposed to start my pokemon journey  _ today _ ,” Marinette whined, blue eyes filling with tears. “What about Charmander? Surely you have a Charmander left?”

“Charmander was taken by Miss Cesaire.  _ She _ was on time.”

“Squirtle?”

“Taken by Mr. Lahiffe.  _ Also _ on time.”

“Bulbasaur, then. Surely-”

“Miss Lavillant took Bulbasaur, my dear.”

“Surely you have to have something for me, Professor. I’ll take  _ anything _ ,” Marinette begged, clasping her hands in front of her. Professor Fu watched her thoughtfully, before finally sighing. Hitting a button on the podium, the glass dome slid open and then a hidden compartment at the center opened as well. A small motor whirred to life and a small platform lifted a pokeball from within the compartment. It was a normal looking ball, except it had a small lightning bolt above the release button. Reaching out, Professor Fu took the ball in his hands and studied it hesitantly.

“There is one pokemon, Miss Dupain-Cheng. But this pokemon is not for the weak of heart. He is quite… spirited,” he warned, fingers tightening on the ball when she would have reached out to snatch it in her hands. Marinette didn’t care if the pokemon inside was spirited. She just knew that it was a  _ pokemon _ and she absolutely  _ had _ to have it. She reached for the ball, mouth opening to speak, but before she could, a new voice interjected.

“Is that the last pokemon? If so, I think  _ I _ deserve it more than she does!”

  
  
  


Luka Couffaine had been having a very bad, not good day. First, his sister absolutely sabotaged him by turning off his alarm clock and then not waking him up in time for the Pokemon Ceremony that morning. He knew she was still mad about that prank he had pulled the week before, putting a Krabby into her bed right before she went to sleep. But he didn’t think she was mad enough to pull a stunt like this! The only reason he awoke at all because his mother had come into his room to find something and had asked why on earth he was still in bed. Luka hadn’t had time to dress, let alone brush his hair or eat breakfast. Which is how he found himself standing in Professor Fu’s lab thirty minutes later, his jet black hair sticking out every which way, shoes untied, socks mismatched, and clad in pokeball themed pajamas.

His blue eyes, previously glued to the Pokeball in Professor Fu’s hands, drifted over and narrowed as he took in the girl who was currently standing in the way of him getting his first pokemon. She looked only slightly more put together than he was. She also wore pajamas, though hers were pink with white polka dots, but her pigtails were neatly tied and her pink flats didn’t even have laces to be untied. Even her socks appeared to match. Her own blue eyes narrowed at his words and locked on to his, cheeks flushing and mouth forming an indignant ‘o’ as Luka stepped further into the room and turned to the Professor to plead his case. Sweeping one arm out, he indicated the petite girl with a derisive twist of his lips.

“Come on, Professor. She doesn’t even  _ look _ ten. She looks like a five year old. Surely she can wait a bit longer to get her first Pokemon,” he said, gaze drifting greedily back towards the Pokeball in the Professor’s hand.

“Excuse me?” The girl squawked, like a pidgy, turning to face him and planting her fists on her hips. Luka barely spared her a gance.

“You’re excused,” he said, inching closer to the Professor and the Pokeball. The girl huffed, reminding him a lot of his twin sister. Except she was much, much shorter and cuter, in an obnoxious sort of way. Marinette was her name, if he remembered correctly. She was one of Juleka’s annoying friends. Not that he spent any time around Juleka’s friends, but if they were friends with his sister, they must be just as annoying as she was.

“That’s not- I mean I didn’t- who do you even think you are!?” The girl sputtered angrily and Luka finally deigned to spare her a glare of his own.

“I’m Luka, and I’m going to be a Pokemon Master just like my dad is,” he announced with a smirk. Marinette scoffed.

“You don’t look like much of a Pokemon Master. Have you ever even  _ held _ a pokeball?” She sneered, causing Luka’s face to redden.

“Of- of course I have! Professor, tell her the pokemon is mine.”

“No, tell him it's  _ mine _ ,” Marinette demanded. The two scowled at each other before turning to Professor Fu, whose gaze was bouncing between the pair thoughtfully before a satisfied smile graced his features.

“Worry not, children. I do have another rather unusual pokemon that I can give out, just this one,” he assured, placing the pokeball he was currently holding into Marinette’s eagerly outstretched hands. “But be sure to be on time in the future, or you might not be so lucky.”

He meandered off in search of the other pokeball after that parting statement, and Luka found his gaze drifting once more to the raven haired girl as she clutched the Pokeball proudly in her hands. He should feel relief that he was still getting a Pokemon, and perhaps regret at having been so rude to the girl. But dark feelings still roiled in his stomach inexplicably and when her bluebell eyes lifted and met his, he found himself scowling at her regardless of the fact that their issue had been resolved. Marinette looked surprised at this, but then her own brow settled low over her sapphire gaze, pert nose wrinkling as she stuck her tongue out at him. Before he could respond in kind, Professor Fu returned, claiming his attention with the Pokeball clasped in his weathered fingers. When Luka turned back, prize in hand, Marinette was gone but those ugly feelings? They remained, settling deep into his heart and soul.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I take requests as well!


End file.
